Why Use JSON for Test Data?
Using JSON files for test data in Selenium has several advantages:
Separation of data and code → easier to maintain
Reusable test data → different test scenarios without changing code
Supports complex data structures → arrays, nested objects
Easier to integrate with CI/CD pipelines
🧰 1. Add JSON Parsing Library
Java doesn’t natively parse JSON, so you need a library:
Jackson (popular and widely used)
Gson (from Google)
Maven dependency for Jackson:
<dependency>
<groupId>com.fasterxml.jackson.core</groupId>
<artifactId>jackson-databind</artifactId>
<version>2.15.2</version>
</dependency>
📂 2. Sample JSON Test Data
Example testdata.json:
{
"login": {
"username": "testuser",
"password": "Password123"
},
"search": {
"query": "Selenium WebDriver",
"category": "Testing"
}
}
🧑💻 3. Create Java POJO Classes (Optional)
Define classes matching the JSON structure (helps with type-safe mapping):
public class LoginData {
private String username;
private String password;
// getters and setters
}
public class SearchData {
private String query;
private String category;
// getters and setters
}
public class TestData {
private LoginData login;
private SearchData search;
// getters and setters
}
📝 4. Read JSON Data in Java
Using Jackson ObjectMapper:
import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
public class JsonReader {
public static TestData readTestData(String filePath) {
ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
try {
return mapper.readValue(new File(filePath), TestData.class);
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
return null;
}
}
}
🔗 5. Use JSON Data in Selenium Tests
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class LoginTest {
public static void main(String[] args) {
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
TestData testData = JsonReader.readTestData("src/test/resources/testdata.json");
driver.get("https://example.com/login");
// Use JSON data for test inputs
driver.findElement(By.id("username")).sendKeys(testData.getLogin().getUsername());
driver.findElement(By.id("password")).sendKeys(testData.getLogin().getPassword());
driver.findElement(By.id("loginButton")).click();
driver.quit();
}
}
⚡ 6. Best Practices
Keep JSON in src/test/resources → easier to access in tests.
Use POJOs → type safety and clarity.
Validate JSON structure → catch errors before tests run.
Use JSON arrays for multiple test cases:
{
"users": [
{ "username": "user1", "password": "pass1" },
{ "username": "user2", "password": "pass2" }
]
}
Combine with TestNG/JUnit → data-driven testing using @DataProvider.
📊 7. Example with TestNG DataProvider
@DataProvider(name = "loginData")
public Object[][] getLoginData() throws IOException {
ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
LoginData[] users = mapper.readValue(
new File("src/test/resources/users.json"), LoginData[].class);
Object[][] data = new Object[users.length][1];
for (int i = 0; i < users.length; i++) {
data[i][0] = users[i];
}
return data;
}
@Test(dataProvider = "loginData")
public void loginTest(LoginData user) {
driver.get("https://example.com/login");
driver.findElement(By.id("username")).sendKeys(user.getUsername());
driver.findElement(By.id("password")).sendKeys(user.getPassword());
driver.findElement(By.id("loginButton")).click();
}
This makes your Selenium tests fully data-driven.
🎯 Summary
Keep test data in JSON files.
Use Jackson or Gson to parse JSON.
Map JSON to POJOs for type safety.
Access JSON fields in Selenium tests instead of hardcoding data.
Integrate with TestNG/JUnit for data-driven tests.
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Read More
Writing Test Results into Excel Files in Selenium
Reading Test Data from Excel using Apache POI
🔌 Data Handling and Advanced Concepts
How to Create a Base Test Class in Java
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